Jeep Gladiator goes official, to hit the US market in 2019

KUALA LUMPUR: Jeep has unveiled the new Gladiator pick-up truck at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show. It will arrive in four different variants - Rubicon, Overland Sport, and Sport S. The Toledo plant in Ohio will host the production of the pick-up.

The exterior of the pickup resembles its SUV sibling, JL Wrangler and adorns a boxy look. At the front, the vehicle gets the trademark 'keystone' design, which features a grille with seven slots along with circular headlights.

The interior too seems to have inspired by the Wrangler. The dash gets a new design with restyled gauges. A new row at the rear makes the Gladiator unique among the pick-up trucks. A hidden storage compartment has been made available below the rear seats, which can be used after folding the seats.

The vehicle gets a 7-inch or 8.4-inch infotainment display, called Uconnect. It takes care of security and lighting features, the navigation system, and in-car controls for climate control. The infotainment system supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The brand-new Jeep Gladiator is available in two different engine trims - a 3.6-litre petrol-powered V6 and 3.0-litre diesel V6. The 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 mill is capable of belting out a maximum of 288 PS power along with a peak torque of 352 Nm. The transmission duties are handled by either a six-speed manual gearbox or an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

There is also a 3.0-litre turbocharged EcoDiesel V6 oil burner, which offers up to 263 PS of power along and peak torque of 600 Nm. It is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The diesel engine is equipped with a low-pressure cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), fuel injector nozzles, and low-friction pistons. These features help to improve the overall efficiency and lessen carbon emissions.

The brand new Gladiator will hit the US market in the second quarter of 2019. However, the automaker has not confirmed that whether or not the pick-up will be available outside the US.